ATHENS-When Santa makes appearances in Athens, he arrives in a shiny red fire truck instead of his usual sleigh.
Athens Fire and Rescue provides Santa transportation to events such as this past weekend’s Athens Christmas Open House and the upcoming Lincoln-Bridgeforth Park Christmas Tree Lighting.
Santa and Athens Fire and Rescue Capt. Jeff Jones, who has driven Santa, set down for a question-and-answer session about this local tradition, and the answers were revealing. Santa may not want his reindeer to hear some of his answers, and Mrs. Claus may have something to say about his stops at a downtown Athens ice cream shop.
Santa’s Q&A
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- Why do you travel by fire truck for your Athens appearances?
Because I travel by reindeer all the time. I almost never get to ride in a fire truck, so it’s really great when Mayor (Ronnie) Marks lets me do it when I come to Athens. I love traveling by fire truck.
- Do the firefighters ever let you play with the lights and siren?
Yes they do! I love to make as much noise as I possibly can. Usually I come see children at night when I have to be really quiet. I’d much rather come in making lots of noise.
- Which is more fun: traveling by sleigh or fire truck?
Definitely by fire truck. I don’t have to steer. And the fire truck doesn’t have to stop every 200 miles to use the bathroom.
- Do you consider the firefighters part of your elves workforce?
Oh no, firefighters are much taller, hairier and they don’t work for candy canes and chocolate. But they have just as much fun as the elves do.
- Which are better navigators: the reindeer or the firefighters?
Ha! I’d have to say the firefighters. If I’m not careful, the reindeer will fly right over the house I’m aiming for and wind up in a pasture somewhere munching on clover. These Athens firefighters know right where to go. The only time they’ve driven off course was when I asked them to stop at the Kreme Delite.
Capt. Jeff Jones Q&A
- What is it like driving Santa to events in Athens? Does he make any strange requests? He is pretty easy going, but last time he kept calling me Prancer. I don’t know if that was an insult or not. He prefers to hang his head out the window, so I think he prefers convertibles.
- Does Santa expect milk and cookies for his Athens appearances or is that just a Christmas Eve tradition? For some reason he thinks we have milk and cookies in the truck. While that’s not always false, it’s not part of our equipment. Fellow firefighter Durisseau Dewalt normally has cookies but is lactose intolerant so no milk.
- Does Santa ask you to turn on the lights and siren? He likes the lights, but the siren messes up his hearing aids – wait I think that’s a
secret.
- Does driving Santa put you at the top of his Good List? It does normally, except one year he fell out of the truck, and I got celery sticks for Christmas. I loathe celery.
- What makes a fire truck a good substitute for Santa’s sleigh? Athens fire trucks are always red and white, and Santa really digs red and white. Also, several of us are jolly, and some of us have bellies too. I think we make him feel comfortable.
Children who miss visiting Santa or who want to make sure he gets their wish list, can drop a card to him by visiting a special mailbox in downtown Athens. Team Victory 4 All, a non-profit group for childhood cancer programs, has the Santa mailbox in front of The Grasshopper. Children can send a stamped letter to Santa as part of the Believe Campaign with Macy’s that benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
